Rock On Zion
by Byte
Summary: The tale of a rock band in the city of Zion, but they are gonna be involved more in bar fights and the bad lifstyle, they are gonna be pulled into the lives of Neo and the gang, also provides a look into a Zion that is not a very happy place...


Rock On Zion   
By Byte  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Zion or the Matrix, or any Matrix people I will use. Nor do I own Basketcase by Green Day If I owned any of those I'd be much happier, but Long Forgotten, with Nerve, Iff, Warnin and Linkin, and other original characters are mine.  
  
  
I woke up at about three PM, our gig had ran late the night before. Iff was yaking about something or another, and Linkin was threatening to beat the crap out of him. Warnin I pretty sure was asleep still I was betting. I can't wait to move out of here, even thought in the Matrix I'd be living in a dorm and sharing a room with about as many people. But at least I could get away from them once in an awhile.   
"Yo, Nerve you conscience?" Iff asked.  
"No, so leave me alone." I snarled. Iff seemed to pout for a second then flipped the mattress over, so that I landed on the floor. I would have killed him but he's our bassist. Now Linkin I could do without. I looked around the dark little closet I call a bedroom. Pissed, I lunged forward and sucker punched Iff in the stomach.   
"Okay I see your point." He whispered clutching his stomach.   
"Dude violence is so not the answer." Warnin muttered in the doorway.   
"Yeah well look at history it works." I snapped. Okay I shouldn't have snapped at Warnin, he wouldn't hurt a fly. In fact only Linkin and me fight physically, and I never try to be mean about it(oh hell I just start fights I don't usually fight in them). Now he's just always looking for trouble. He's gonna get me killed someday, then Proxie will kill him. At the moment though Warnin just shrugged, and went into the kitchen in search of coffee, of at least the crap here they call coffee. I'd sell my left arm for a good mocha, and a few fingers for a bad one.  
Iff turned to me, "One day he's goin to pop, and like we're all gonna have hell to pay. And I suggest Visa, I dunno if hell accepts American Express."   
I groaned and shook my head. The day that happens hell won't accept either because it'll be frozen over. Then Linkin walked in the room.  
Speak of the devil.   
"I just want to let you two know we got a gig tonight. A bar named Jorge's, we'e playing after the Triangle Corp." Linkin didn't smile, Linkin never smiles, doesn't matter if the hottest chick in bar is swooning over him. I don't get it. How can he be so cold. The only time he's alive is when he's performing, that's his escape, his paradise. Or what ever the hell you wanna call it.   
Iff smiled, "Oh yeah I met the sweetest little senorita there."   
"Actually I heard this great rap/rock cover band there. The dude actually sounded like Fred Durst." I arched my eyebrow, was that a good thing? I resented it when we had to play cover, but that's what the people want. Original bands have to start out cover, and hopefully people will like the original stuff. But to make it "big time"( I use the term loosely) here is harder than in the Matrix. Cause most people don't want original stuff from Zion, most bands loose their members to the draft, or the normal stuff bands go though. The fact that you can barley get enough stuff to get a few instruments together.   
"And of course you'll wanna tell Proxie." Linkin sneered at me. He and Proxie don't get along.   
"Dude naturally. She's our groupie!" Iff came in her defensive.  
"What? mad cause she didn't go out with you."  
"No cause when she's around you don't think with the right head."  
"Like that's anything new, I mean I never do." Linkin frowned at me. And as he walked out I flicked him off.   
"How long are you two gonna keep up this crap?" Iff asked, he ran his hand though his longish black hair.   
"Hey you just better hope that we never dislike each other."  
"Then what the hell was that?"  
"Everyday annoyances."   
  
  
  
We got to Jorge's two hours early, we'd done the sound check earlier, and we were ready to rock. We enter though the door which had a wombat with a sombrero on. I don't get it. The bar itself is dark with a low ceiling that's so low that it makes me nervous(I happen to be real tall), the bar is metal and the bartender a chick with connections. But I wasn't worried about that chick.   
"Nerve! Hey!" Yelped a female voice. Proxie. She bounded up, and we kissed. She looked up at me after we stopped and smiled. Her skin seemed to glow in the semi darkness. She is pale, I mean everyone in Zion is, but she's even more so.   
"How's my groupie?" She smiled at that.  
"I'm not your groupie til 2300 hours. I'm reporting on the Triangle Corp."   
"When are you gonna report on our band?"  
"Groupies don't report on the bands they group for."  
"Is that even a word?"  
"Ah no-"  
"What the hell, aren't you the English major?" She only smacked me in the back of the head. I know her editor wouldn't let her report on my band; I'm surprised that Zion Press even has a entertainment section. But Proxie can twist some arms when she wants to. She'll play ditzy then wham! You got Proxie- undercover government agent wannabe.   
"Oh you can smack my head, but I can't smack your ass in public?" She squealed and giggled like a school girl.   
"He given you trouble hun?" Asked the bartender with an evil glance up at me. She was a strawberry blond, and short about a foot shorter then me, still from experience I've learned you don't piss off bartenders. If you do you get an extra ingredient in your drinks, and that depends on how much you piss them off.   
"Chill Pixel. He's my boyfriend." Proxie assured her. "So don't spit in his drink please."  
"Oh fine!" She turned to me.  
"So you guys playing cover tonight?"  
"Yup, we got requests for Green Day, Sum41, New Found Glory, and Bouncing Souls"  
"Oh good I love your Billie Joe impression!" She always sounds so young, I think it's cute. But actually she came to one of my gigs because of my Billie Joe impression  
"Just my Billie Joe impression?" She blushed.   
"No she loves your hot body." Iff mocked from behind us. I smiled the dude has the best timing. He's still mad at me for the time I walked in on him while I walked in on him and Razzday were making out and I "ruined the mood".   
"Well I gotta go get an interview with the Triangle Corp. Nice seeing you Iff, and I'll see you later." The last part she directed at me. I smirked and looked at her as she walked away, where I looked- eh might anger some girls and compliment some others. Iff turned to the bartender.  
"Hey doll, can I have a Rox with double Cee." She walked up very close to him dug her nails into his hands which were on the bar and looked him in the eye.  
"Call me doll again and it won't be your hands that are hurt. Catch my drift?" She smiled sweetly and removed her hands.   
"We should set her up with Linkin." Iff grumbled rubbing his hands. But she did give us our drinks and didn't spit in them. Though I did see her spit in Gebrannt's drink. He's use to be our drummer, then Warnin an old buddy of Iff's and mine got unplugged, but that's not why we cut him; one he sucked, and two he had been getting into Hole Chargers, and most of the time he was too stoned to play and we were constantly hiring replacement drummers for a night. He's still bitter and I'm glad the bartender spat in his glass.   
Warnin and Linkin soon joined us at the bar and placed their orders. Once again she didn't spit in their drinks in fact she seemed to make Linkin's with more care than the others.   
"She's checkin you out man." Warnin slurred as he drank a concoction the same color green as his hair.   
"Oh yeah she's be perfect for you." I assured him but I couldn't keep the smirk off my face. He obviously chose not to notice. You think he'd learned by now that you can't trust me and Iff. Iff snickered and turned to scope out the crowd. Warnin was getting drunk and hitting on a girl next to him, who was getting drunk too. How romantic. I snuffed and looked at the news reel above the bar.   
"Hey you think the Genetic Screening and Caution Act will pass?" Asked the guy next to me. He was thin with short blond hair, glasses and dressed in the Zion equivalent of a suit, he looked slightly out of place at Jorge's. He'd be pathetic if he was old, but he was really young he looked only to a have a year or two on me. Then it hit me: political activist.  
"I hope not but if the Rights get their way, it'll pass."  
"You're right." He said adjusting his glasses. "I'm Hobbes."  
"Nerve, I'm in the band."  
"Damn you're with Long Forgotten?"   
"Yeah guitarist. And what the hell are you doing in a stiff suit?"   
"I'm with the Leftist for the Zionian Assosiation, they won't even let us in the building if we aren't in a stiff suit." I whistled long, the LZA was always getting the crap beaten out of them by the Zionian Guard for protests. All of a sudden I had a helluva lot more respect for the dude.  
"So you can tell me this what's the news on the draft? The real stuff not the bull they're telling us." The draft is a big deal to me. Cause I really don't wanna get drafted. I could care less about fighting. What I experienced after I got unplugged was enough fighting for me.   
"Kiss your sweetheart goodbye my friend, it'll make Vietnam look like a good idea."   
  
"They can kiss my ass I'm not going." The political activist smiled sadly, and shook his head.   
"One word of advice never say that around the Federali, they will beat you 'til you just wanna die."  
"This sucks, whatever happened to that Awakening Counseling Bill? Now that was a good idea." The other man shrugged and threw back another drink.  
"It's just not worth it sometimes..." The man then fixed his gaze on the News Vid. Damn.... I turned around to face the band that had just come out onto the stage...the triangle corp. It was a group of people, with triangle, those little ones you know? Several people began cheering loudly and began banging loudly on the tables.   
"What the HELL?!" I laughed...I was about to continue when a hand slammed over my mouth, and promptly shut me up.  
"Those people are a cult, and I ain't kidding, they will kill you if you insult the corps, or worse."   
"Proxie what could be worse than being dead?" She smiled slyly, she didn't look right smiling like that, she had too innocent a face. Then again no one in Zion was innocent, if they looked like it, it was just a glamour.   
"You know about Ball-less Mooch right?"  
"He's-really-!?"  
"No but they did beat the crap out of him."  
"You bitch!"  
"That's not nice."  
"I'm not nice."  
"Tell me about it. You can be a real jackass sometimes, but I like you anyway." That's one reason I date Proxie, she tolerates what I put other people though, then again she's not too easy to get along with either. Though most people worth knowing aren't easy to be friends with.   
"Will you two shut up?" Hissed Pixel from behind us. "Last thing I need is another fight in this bar 'kay? Cause you're damn well about to start one!" I was about to open my mouth when....  
"Don't say anything 'kay?" Proxie hissed between her teeth. How the hell did she know? I mean I think she knows me too well.   
I shut up and watched the Triangle Corp. She was leaning against me, it felt good, just plain right. I'll admit the Triangle Corp was intrusting to say the least, they could do a lot with those dinky little triangles of theirs. The leader appeared to be a light blond haired girl, despite the fact that everyone on stage was taller than her she though was the best triangle player and had quite a few solos. I looked over Proxie's shoulder, she had started writing, "...Strangely soothing..." and "...The most original band in Zion...."  
"Hey!" She smiled and shrugged at my indignation. Toward the end the triangle corps' cult member began banging the tables. The set ended and they bowed, the leader smiled. I clapped with every one else, it was art. But one person began booing, and I watched in shock as a triangle cult member slammed a bottle on the guy's head. He began bleeding profusely.   
"HEY YOU!!" Screamed the bartender jumping onto the bar, "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY BAR!!" To the dude with the bleeding head, "BE POLITE NEXT TIME!!" She shook her head and looked at me, "Rough crowd tonight." Shit. Last time we played for a "rough crowd", I earned the scar I have on my forehead.  
I turned around to see Proxie talking with the Triangle Corps leader. I put my hand on her shoulder, she turned to me, and smiled and nodded, then returned to her interview. I met up with the guys behind stage.   
"I just think walking up to the bartender and asking her do you want to sleep with me is a little blunt, get her drunk first." Iff was telling Linkin.   
"Cause that's the only way you score Iff." I snickered. He spun around and gave me the finger. I guess I deserved that.   
"Rough crowd tonight." Warnin commented, not worried, just making sure we knew.  
"Yeah Linkin don't provoke any fights. Remember last time?"  
"You still bitter about that?"  
"I had a damn head wound."  
"Better that one then the other." Commented Iff pointing at my forehead. This time I gave him the finger. He threw his head back and howled with laughter.  
"You bastard." I said joining in the laughter. "You suck." Even Warnin joined in.   
"You three all suck now we better get our asses out on stage!" Linkin roared.  
I walked up to the mike, our first song was by Green Day so I had to sing the vocals. Linkin nodded and we started.  
  
"Do you have the time to listen to me whine?  
About nothing and everything all at once?  
I am one of those melodramatic fools  
Neurotic to core, no doubt about it  
Sometimes I give my self the creeps   
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me   
It all keeps adding up I think I'm cracking  
Am I just paranoid, or am I just stoned?  
I went to a shrink to analyze my dreams   
She said it's lack of sex that's bringing me down  
I went to a whore he said my life's a bore  
So quit my whining cause it's bringing her down  
Grasping to control  
So I better hold on   
  
Sometimes I give my self the creeps   
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me   
It all keeps adding up I think I'm cracking  
Am I just paranoid, or am I just stoned?  
  
"Thank you! We are Long Forgotten! And hopefully you won't be assholes and try to kill us!!"   
"Great way to provoke them Nerve!" Iff shouted at me. Several people gave me the finger. I love this. It's the best feeling in the world. I then moved on to Green Day's "When I come around", "Brain Stew", "Jaded", "Hitchin A Ride" and "Minority" and "Blood Sex and Booze". And I began to win the crowd over, by Minority they were really getting into it, then I had to turn the mike to Linkin, who sang "Fat Lip" "Motivation" "Hit or Miss" "Gone" and "The Break Up Song" Then he attempted "Wrong Way" by Sublime, which this time he actually pulled it off and we got a lot of cheers at the end of our set. I was kinda bummed though, though they wouldn't let us do any originals.   
"Thank You!!" I screamed into the mike grabbing it from Linkin, "You didn't kill us, you really didn't kill us!!" Then in the back of the room I saw two guys beginning to fight, and more people were rapidly joining in.   
Iff looked at me, "Time to book." I nodded. Definatly. "Shit!" I yelped, "Proxie!" Iff shook his head and scrambled off the stage with me in order to save my girlfriend and only and not really groupie.   
"Nerve, Iff you idiots get the hell back here!!" Warnin looked at him, "And you wonder why you can't keep a girlfriend." "Yeah!" Iff yelled back at him, "Grow some balls!!" I would have said something but I had already entered the fray, and I'd already been punched three times, but I'd found Proxie, who was unsuccessfully trying to fend off two huge guys. Already she had a split lip and the beginnings of a black eye.   
"Get the hell away from her you shit head!!" I screamed and decked the taller one in the face. At the same time Proxie kicked the other guy in between the legs.   
"You okay?" I asked her. She nodded. Then I turned around and got punched in the stomach. "OOF!" And I heard Proxie yelp behind me, and somewhere Iff was cursing someone out.   
"NERVE!!" I heard Proxie shriek, I saw the bastard with the broken bottle, it gave me a second, so I didn't get hit in the face, but I got it right in my shoulder. Then Proxie kicked him in the pants too.   
"Crap Nerve. C'mon." She looked at my shoulder and I knew it was bad from the expression on her face. Iff sputtered though and looked down at me and turned white. Then in the middle I heard actually shots fired from a gun.  
"GET THE HELL OUT OFF THE BAR EVERY ONE OR I"LL SHOOT YOUR ASS." The crowd dispersed and Iff and Proxie dragged me out from the bag. There were four other people in the bag, and a tall lanky guy seemed to be in the same boat as me. Proxie had ripped the bottem of her shirt and was applying pressure to my shoulder and it hurt like hell.   
"What asshole started this!" I roared. Proxie shot me a look of annoyance, then shrugged, " Some newbie and a bald black dude." I then looked at the four figuires, and I knew. I got up using Proxie's shoulder.   
"Dude, what the hell are you doing?!" Iff demanded, as he followed along with Proxie behind me. The closer I got the surer I was until there was no doubt.  
"Morpheus!! You bastard!!!" I yelled.  
Please please review!! Also I know my spelling/grammar sucks, it'll get corrected when I have a friend proof read this, but I just wanted to get this up. So I hope you liked!! 


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